These Walls Grown Cold
by jsmulligan
Summary: While training new Guardians, Titan Avgust receives a distress call from someone under attack by Fallen and rushes to answer the call. Part of a character/story swap with Wendigo E17. Rated T for Destiny. Cross-posted to fanfiction. Do not post to other sites.
1. Chapter 1

Part 1

Titan trainee Delta, so named because his Ghost had found him lying near a river delta and he couldn't remember his old name, hit the ground hard, the air lungs with an audible sound.

"Get up!" his trainer, a Titan named Avgust, demanded.

Delta stirred. Slowly, his arms drew inward, hands pressing against the ground to push upward as legs tucked underneath. He paused on his hands and knees for a moment before rising onto shaky legs. Avgust nodded, then darted in and struck the other man again, once again sending him to the ground hard.

"Get up!" Avgust shouted again.

"Why? You're just going to knock me down again," Delta complained.

"Yes, and I will keep doing it until you stop letting me. Up."

Delta cast a quick glance at the circle of figures that surrounded the two of them, watching the exercise. With a muttered curse, Delta got to his feet again, and again, Avgust was on him in an instant. This time, Delta managed to lash out at the older man, but Avugust caught his arm and wrenched. There was an audible crack and Delta cried out in pain before falling, clenching his arm. In an instant, his Ghost was out, washing a healing beam over the broken limb.

"He's lucky that's all that happened," someone muttered in the crowd. "The other trainer let a little brat light me on fire."

Delta looked at Avgust, anger burning in his eyes. Once his arm was healed, he came up charging, trying to take the fight to the instructor. Once again, the exchange ended with Delta on the ground. Finally, after enough attempts that he lost count, the younger Titan overcame the older, driving him to the ground with a cry of triumph. Both Titans rose to their feet, and Avgust placed a hand on Delta's shoulder.

"Good. You did not give up," Avgust said. «Eto vazhno.» He repeated himself in English, "This is important. For you must learn to persevere through many things."

Avgust turned to the face the rest of the crowd, all Titan trainees that he had been working with. "This is important for all of you. You must remain strong despite many hardships. You will have to fight on despite hardships that would crush most people.

"You are Guardians, warriors of the Light. You are the hope of everyone living in the City, which is the last light and hope for humanity. You have to be able to face whatever the Darkness throws at you and keep fighting.

"More than that, you are Titans. You are the wall that keeps everyone safe. That keeps the dream safe. You can not falter. You are the Guardians of the hope of humanity."

Avgust said the words by rote. He'd said similar words many times before, but now they left an aftertaste in his mouth that he couldn't quite shake. Hope? He was no longer sure he felt that when he looked at the walls surrounding the City.

There had been a time when he did. When the dream of the City drove him onward and he considered that there could be a bright future even after the devastation of the Collapse, that humanity could pull together and climb back out of the pit it had been kicked into.

Now, he wasn't as sure.

He'd lost too many friends, endured too many pointless skirmishes and battles that never seemed to accomplish anything, and everytime they pushed back the Darkness and took down a major threat, something else just took its place. The Vanguard had mostly stayed behind the walls instead of pushing out to reclaim other territories. There was still just one city. Even in this "Age of Triumph" where the Last Safe City and Tower celebrated everything that had happened, there was no call for something more.

"That is all for today," he said. "Dismissed."

Some of the assembled Titans saluted before they left, others just transmatted out without a word. Avgust shook his head. Over the course of different missions, he had discovered that he had been in the military in his old life. Before he had discovered that, however, that part of his personality, buried somewhere in the back of his resurrected mind, had influenced who he was now. With other Guardians, it was something of a mixed bag in the way they responded, however.

Avgust stood alone among the trees, casting a glance east. There, the walls that surrounded the City rose, and above that was the Tower that most Guardians called home. Today, the sight of it made him feel uneasy for reasons he could not articulate.

The voice of his Ghost, Svarog, broke through before he could figure it out, "Avgust, I'm picking up a distress call. Civilian. Under attack by the Fallen."

Fallen. Scavengers and vultures, picking at the carcass of what humanity had built and trying to finish what the Darkness had started so they could reclaim the "Great Machine" from the Guardians that they considered thieves. Avgust's fists clenched involuntarily.

"Where?"

"There is some interference, so I am having trouble pinpointing it precisely. East of the EDZ. If we get closer, I could get a better lock."

"Then let's go."

"Should I contact the rest of the fireteam?" the Ghost inquired.

"No," the Titan replied. "I have got this, Svarog."

"Are you sure?" the Ghost asked.

«Da», the Titan nodded. "Let us go."

The sensation of the transmat caught the Titan a heartbeat later, depositing him into his ship, Outrageous Fortune. He always found the feeling of the transmat uncomfortable. He took a moment for his insides to feel settled, then he plotted a course for the EDZ.

"I'm still getting strange interference," Svarog grumbled as they approached the general vicinity of where the distress call had originated.

"They said they were under attack by Fallen, yes? Look for signs of the attackers, and we can find the source of the transmission."

Svarog emerged from phase and began interfacing with the ships systems, directly connecting with the sensors. He hung silently for several moments, shell twitching, light streaming between him and the console. Avgust opened his mouth to say something, and the beam suddenly shut off.

"Found them," the Ghost said, a note of triumph in his voice.

«Molodets», Avgust replied.

The Titan braced himself as the transmat caught him again. Once on the ground, he glanced up and watched as his ship followed a pre-programed path to orbit. There was the sound of another transmat, and he felt the heft of his machine gun Thunderlord as it appeared on his back, anxious to renew its song of death.

On his HUD, red markers began to appear, indicating the location of enemy forces. There were more of them than he would have expected, given the latest reports about Fallen activity dropping off. He studied their layout, trying to judge by their positions where the people in trouble may be, and what the best approach to take would be.

The Titan set off at a jog, circle the western edge of the line of red dots, which seemed to be shifting to the northeast. He was close enough now that he was starting to hear noise coming from the host of Fallen, including a hunting cry.

They had found their prey.

Avgust picked up his pace, feeling the heavy machine gun clanking against his back. He could hear the energy crackling through the gun. The Thunderlord was a weapon of legend, given to him during the battle of Twilight Gap. Its history before that was shrouded, but he did know it was a weapon born of great suffering. If he were one to attribute emotion to objects as some did, he would have to say it enjoyed inflicting that suffering on others.

Now he heard the sounds of shock pistols being fired. The Arc energy coursing through the Thunderlord matched the Light that coursed through him as he began to spring, his size, strength, and armor allowing him to plow through some of the undergrowth. It was not as subtle an approach as he would have liked, but sometimes necessity forced one's hand.

The Fallen heard him coming, and some had already turned to face him as he broke into the open. The creatures let loose with undisciplined fire, shock rounds splattering all around him, some striking his armor with little effect.

Avgust rushed through them, then leaped into the air. At the top of his jump, he clasped his hands together over his head, drawing the Arc Light into them. As he descended, he brought his hands down, striking the ground and he landed and letting the Light erupt in erupt outward, unleashing the Fist of Havoc.

Fallen screamed and died around him, bodies of Dregs and Vandals flung in every direction. Avgust kept moving, electricity crackling over his form. He repeated the maneuver several times before he completely expended his super charge.

The Fallen line was broken now. Survivors scattered to find cover, while others came rushing from a different direction. If Avgust had to guess, he would say they were a second line that had been attempting to form a pincher around whoever had sent the distress call. They now converged instead on a greater threat.

Avgust grabbed Thunderlord from his back. It had been humming an electric tune, but not fully unleashed its song of death in his hands, Arc rounds punching through the approaching Fallen. Some spasmed and fell from body blows, others met their end with a puff of ether as the bullets struck higher.

The Russian stayed in one place long enough to disrupt the approaching Fallen front, then began to move before the first squad could regroup and try to pin him down. He heard a Fallen grenade explode behind him, letting him know he'd moved just in time.

He turned and fired another burst quickly, some rounds blasting splinters from trees while others found their marks. The number of red dots was rapidly decreasing. Avgust took one hand from his weapon, gripped and charged a grenade, then threw it toward a clumping to his left. The pulse grenade exploded and scattered more of the bug-like aliens. The Titan slung the machine gun onto his back once more and charged the last of his opponents, Arc Light flinging him forward in a devastating shoulder charge that crushed the last Dreg.

Avgust quickly swept his eyes over the area, looking for any other signs of movement, but found nothing. While searching, however, his eyes did land on one of the enemy corpses lying sprawled on the ground. More specifically, the odd pack it had worn on its back. He held out his hand, and Svarog appeared from phase.

«Chto eto?» he asked. "Scan it, please."

The star-shape of the Ghost darted toward the downed enemy, a beam of light sweeping over the strange pack.

"This is the source of the jamming," Svarog said after a moment. "Give me one… There! Shut it down."

"Open a signal," the Titan told the Ghost. "This is Avgust of the Vanguard. Responding to a distress call that was sent over this channel. Is anyone receiving?"

There was no answer. Avgust repeated the message a second time. Before he could a third, there was finally a response.

"Yes, we're here," a shaky voice sounded in his ear. "Are the Fallen gone?"

«Da,» he replied. "Yes. They're gone for now."

"I'm picking up movement behind you," Svarog said through their connection. One blue point appeared on his HUD, followed by another, and then more.

"How many of them are there?" Avgust questioned.

"Unknown."

Avgust strode toward the blue dots. As he drew close, he raised his hands to show he was no threat. Scared faces began to appear from behind trees and other, poorer hiding places.

"Are you Avgust?" a woman asked, stepping to meet him.

"I am."

"Thank the Traveler," she said, visible relief passing through her. "Oh, thank the Traveler. We thought we were dead."

"How many are you?" Avgust asked.

"Twenty," the woman replied. "Adults and children."

"What are you doing in a place like this?"

"We… had an enclave, a settlement. We had lived in peace for many years, but these Fallen attacked us. They drove us from our home and pursued us."

"Why do you live here and not in the Last City?" Avgust asked. "There are not many safe places in this world."

At this, the woman averted her eyes, not looking at him. "Our forebearers, great-grandparents for most of us, were driven from there. They… held to certain beliefs that were not welcome. The majority of us no longer hold to those, but we didn't want to give up our autonomy. But now we have no choice."

"Unwelcome beliefs?" the Titan questioned.

Again, the woman would not look at him. "They were followers of Osiris."

Avgust took in a sharp, hissing breath at that. He had had his own dealings with people who had chosen to follow the former Vanguard Commander. There was possible danger here.

"Are there any of you that hold to the Cult?" he asked, a touch of anger tinting his voice.

"No, no," she said quickly, her eyes locking on to his, pleading. "No one. Please, take us to the City."

Avgust looked past her at the other refugees gathering. Many years before, he had been part of the Pilgrim Guard, leading people such as these to the safety of the Last City's walls. He could not refuse such a request.

"I will," he said, "but my ship cannot hold this many. We will need to call for help, which could take time."

The woman nodded, fear evident in her eyes. She did not want to stay out here. Avgust could not blame her. Where there were some Fallen, there were more. Staying long in these woods would be suicide.

"Svarog," he said, "call the Tower. Let them know we need transport."

The Ghost bobbed a nod, then seemed to freeze in mid-air as it focused on the communication. Avgust watched and waited.

"Done," the Ghost said eventually. "The Vanguard has been notified, and ships will be sent. But Avgust, we have a problem."

"What?"

"I'm starting to pick up interference at the edge of my range," Svarog said. "I believe more of these Fallen are coming this way."

…

**AN**

**This is part of a character/story swap with Wendigo_E17. His half is already up and posted (only on AO3) as Aftershock and has Claney and Celeste dealing with a group of Fallen. It's good, you should read it.**

**I have several projects underway right now, including this, Dust, and then another gift story from someone.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Twenty civilians. One Guardian. Unknown number of Fallen closing in. Help on the way, but with an unknown ETA and no way to call for further support or contact them on approach.

Avgust ran through the list over and over. It did not look any better no matter what angle he examined it from. Perhaps he should have reached out to the fireteam. The fact that he had not wanted to did not sit easily in his mind.

"We must keep moving," he said, addressing some of the refugees who had started to lag behind. "The Fallen grow closer."

That drew a stricken look on their faces and the people picked up their pace, but Avgust knew it would not last. They were tired and hungry, and had already been running from the aliens for some time before he had rescued them. They were going to have to try to find a defensible position soon.

"You can't expect these people to fight," Svarog said privately. "They won't stand a chance."

«YA znayu,» he replied. "But the Fallen will run them down and butcher them otherwise. What weapons are you storing at present?"

"Not much," the Ghost said. "You haven't been in the field much lately, and we rushed out so I did not have time to prepare properly."

"Do not give excuses, just answers."

"I have the Fate of All Fools, the Jabberhӓkke-D, and the Havoc Pigeon."

Avgust grunted his displeasure. One scout rifle and two sidearms? That was not going to be enough to mount any sort of effective defense. Mentally, he ran through his options.

He could send them forward, stand and face the Fallen alone. He'd be able to take out a number of them, but eventually they would likely overwhelm him. Once he was down, they would pursue the others. By the time he was revived, it was likely they would be dead.

They could just keep running. As long as they stayed ahead of the pack, they would be safe. The oldest and youngest would have trouble keeping up, however, and would eventually fall back to be picked off.

Or, they could stand and fight. If he could find a defensible position, get them set up, then step out and challenge the Fallen, he could take out many of them as in the first plan, but this way the refugees would be prepared to meet the oncoming aliens. They still might fail and die, but at least they would be able to resist and, just maybe, have a few survivors to greet the transports.

Cassandra, the woman who had first approached him, weaved her way through the group to draw close to him. Avgust gave no indication that he had noted her approach. Eventually, she spoke up.

"What are we going to do?" she asked. "We can't keep pushing forward at this pace. Someone will break."

Avgust pursed his lips, then responded. "I have been going through the options. They are… not good."

Cassandra narrowed her lips, but said nothing further. Avgust looked out of the corner of his eye, watching covertly to see how she responded. The woman took in a breath, straightening. She was steeling her resolve. This was good. The Titan nodded.

"Our best chance," he said, "is to find a defensible position to lay in wait and try to hold them off until help comes. I only have a few weapons, but if I draw the Fallen to me, it will allow your people to do some damage."

"And where is this 'defensible position'?"

«YA ne znayu,» he replied, shaking his head. "I do not know. I hope we find it soon."

Cassandra bit her lip nervously and nodded, stepping away from him to try to help some of the younger ones keep up. Some of the children looked to be on the verge of an emotional meltdown. They would have to find a place to hunker down soon, or they certainly would not last. Also, the shadows were stretching longer as the sun sank lower in the sky. If they were still on the run when night fell, they would be at a major disadvantage.

"Why are you even doing this?" a little voice whispered in the back of his mind, a voice Avgust recognized but did not want to put a name to. "They aren't worth it. Twice they've turned their backs on what they said they stood for. They'll turn on you, given the chance."

Avgust shook his head, chasing away the voice and its line of reasoning. He would not turn his back on these people, even if they had deserted the City. As for them giving up on Osiris, he had no feelings either way.

A hunting call from somewhere behind caused Avgust to cast a glance over his shoulder. The Fallen were definitely closing on them. The Russian silently cursed the aliens. How many times now had he fought them over the decades? How many lives had they threatened? A cold hatred simmered in his belly at the sound of their pursuit.

If only he had time to prepare and a few more supplies. If he could somehow lay traps, slow the Fallen that way, but no. He had nothing to use. Unless…

"Svarog," he spoke to the Ghost through their neural link, "do you think you could adapt some of my grenades into tripmines? I know it is more of a Hunter discipline, but that does not mean we cannot use it ourselves."

"I could make some modifications," the Ghost replied, "but I don't know how to make the sensor. Perhaps if we had some filament wire…"

Avgust nodded and turned his attention back to Cassandra. "Do your people have any string or wire?"

"Yes," she replied after a second's thought. "Living out here like we do, we have to do a lot of sewing to make and maintain clothing. We should have some thread."

«Ochen' khorosho,» the Titan said. "Please, see if you can gather some while we are moving."

Cassandra nodded and darted away, searching through the crowd of refugees. Avgust watched her move among them, her blonde hair standing out in the dark clothes and growing shadows. Eventually, she made her way back to him.

"This is all we could get to without stopping and digging through packs," she said, handing him several spools of thread.

It would have to do.

"Thank you," he replied as he took them. Then, to Svarog, "These will have to work for tripwires. Hopefully the Fallen are in too much of a hurry to catch us to pay close attention."

The spools of thread disappeared in a transmat shimmer. Avgust silently hoped that the little Ghost could work quickly. From the corner of his eye, the Titan noticed a child stumble and fall. He angled himself in that direction and scooped the young boy up without breaking stride.

"Done," Svarog told him shortly. "It isn't my best work, but it should get the job done."

"Go ahead of us and plant them, but do not connect the string until we are past," Avgust ordered. The Ghost materialized from phase, bobbed a nod, then zipped ahead of the group.

Several minutes later, the Ghost was by his side again. It wasn't long after that that they heard an explosion somewhere behind them and alien screams of shock and pain.

"Guess it worked," Svarog stated matter-of-factly.

«Da,» the Titan replied. "And it should slow their pursuit. They will have to move more cautiously for fear of any more traps.

"Then I had better set a couple more, just to keep them occupied," the Ghost said and vanished again.

The sky, as well as the surrounding area, was beginning to grow dangerously dim. Avgust's mouth was set in a grim line as he considered the very real possibility of having to fend off the Fallen in the dark. The aliens' night vision was vastly superior to your average human. It would be a slaughter.

Then, they found what they had been looking for.

The woods opened up into a small clearing, and an abandoned house sat crumbling amidst the weeds that had overtaken the area. Several stone walls still stood, and there was a low stone fence surrounding them. It was no fortress, but it was better than anything else he had seen.

"Svarog, the weapons," Avgust said, holding out his arms. The scout rifle and sidearms appeared in a flicker of light.

"Cassandra," he called, and the woman suddenly appeared near his side. "Get everyone inside and give these to your best marksmen. I will engage the Fallen in the woods and try to keep them from you, but if any come, these will be your only defense."

"Thank you," she said, snatching the guns and running back to her people.

Men, women, and children tried to crowd into the dilapidated structure. Avgust saw several of them picking up sticks and rocks, desperately searching for anything to use if the Fallen reached them. These things would do little good, but Avgust admired their spirit.

The Guardian turned away from the Lightless, and sprinted back into the treeline. He needed to engage the Fallen as far back as he could, keep them as far away from them as possible. Avgust unslung Thunderlord from where it rested on his back, and he felt the gun hum to life, ready to sing again its song of death.

On his HUD, several red markers began to appear. Avgust slowed his pace, wanting to be certain that he was able to keep tabs on the Fallen's advance. One or more of them must have heard him approach because, as he watched, the line of dots began to converge toward him. Good. He hefted the machine gun into position and waited.

The first alien to come into view was a Dreg. The low-ranking, docked Eliksni was rushing in with a knife in one hand, showing a lack of restraint. Avgust squeezed the firing mechanism, and the alien paid with its foolhardiness with its life.

Thunderlord's call was answered with shouts of unknown words from the threes around Avgust. Quickly, the Titan moved back and to the left, looping away from his original position before advancing again, hoping to come up behind some of the Fallen that might be trying to track him from the heavy weapon's report.

He was able to ambush two of them that way, a Dreg and a Vandal, who had been in close proximity to each other. Unfortunately, he had failed to notice a third Fallen close by, another Vandal who sounded an alarm and fired at him. Avgust avoided being hit, but now the battle was truly joined. Aliens swarmed through the trees, trying to get to the Titan who evaded as best he could while alternating between wild sprays of machine gun fire and well placed shots to keep his attackers at bay.

Avgust dropped to one knee, aiming the Thunderlord and squeezing the trigger, his reward being a puff of ether from another dead Dreg. He had managed to cut through several of the attackers, buying the civilians a good amount of time to prepare. He checked the motion tracker on his HUD just as he heard the sound of something striking the ground near him.

"Grenade," Svarog warned.

Avgust sprung to his feet and jumped to the side just as the shock grenade exploded in a flash of Arc energy. The Titan hit the ground, more stunned than actually injured from the blast. Even if it had not wounded him severely, the blow did slow him enough that several of the aliens were able to close in on him.

The Guardian barely rolled in time to bring his arms up to deflect a knife swinging down toward him. Another alien lunged in, this time one of them using a spear-like weapon that he had never seen before. Avgust was able to knock the blade aside before twisting to punch the alien in the knee, which buckled back the wrong way, eliciting a scream of pain. Avgust continued the motion, rolling to his stomach so that he could push himself off the ground. He knew that if he did not get up, the Fallen would overwhelm him with sheer numbers.

It was already too late.

More of the creatures fell on him, knives scoring his armor, seeking the soft points. Fists and elbows struck him and feet kicked at him. A Shock Dagger found one of the joints in his armor, and Avgust felt the blade dig into his skin, followed by another shocking jolt of Arc energy. Avgust gritted his teeth to keep from crying out. He refused to give them the satisfaction.

In desperation, the Titan pulled a grenade, infusing it with Arc Light and threw it toward a nearby tree. The metal cylinder stuck, pointing in their direction. Avgust managed to work his way free of grasping hands and throw himself to the ground just before the Arc Light stored in the grenade lanced outward, streaks of lightning crackling as it shot through the gathered mass of aliens, who were thrown backward by the force of the discharge.

Avgust pushed himself back to his feet, feeling the stab wound beginning to heal as Svarog knitted him slowly back together. Still slowed by the stun effects of the Arc grenade and Shock Dagger, he was unable to respond quickly enough when shots rang out, and he felt the first two rounds from the Shock Rifle strike him before the third ended his life.

…

Avgust gasped and sat up as the Light poured through him. Svarog hovered a meter above him, the star-points of his shell closing back in following the resurrection of his Guardian. The Titan climbed to his feet, surveying the area.

«Skol'ko?» he asked the Ghost.

"Less than an hour," the fragment of the Traveler replied. "They shot you a few more times after you fell, then waited around several minutes to see if you were going to jump back up. When you didn't, their Captain shouted something and then all took off in the direction of where we left everyone else. I revived you as soon as I was sure they were gone."

The Titan nodded in response, then shook his head, trying to clear the slight fogginess that sometimes came along with resurrection. He checked his position, then set off at a sprint, running to where he left Cassandra and the others. It was probably already too late, but he had to hope that it was not.

By the time he arrived back at the ruined home. There was little movement, and no signs of battle. Whatever had happened here was already finished.

Avgust could see several bodies lying on the ground in the moonlight. To his surprise, most of them were Fallen. There were several human bodies as well, including more than one child. Avgust stopped and knelt by one of the small forms, staring into the lifeless eyes before reaching out to gently close them. He pressed on, closing toward the house. A shot rang out from the direction of the home, and dirt leaped up from the ground in front of him.

"Don't move!" someone shouted.

The Titan raised his hands and called out, "It is me."

"Hold your fire," came another shout, and several heads came into view. Avgust strode forward, until he could make out their features. Cassandra stepped out of the crowd and approached him.

"Thank the Traveler," she said. "We thought we'd lost you."

Avgust grunted. "What happened here?"

Cassandra glanced around, her face grim. "We could hear the sounds of your gun all the way out here, so we knew you had fought them. When we heard no more sounds, we feared the worst and hunkered down.

"After a while, they all came charging from the treeline. I think they assumed we were helpless, as they didn't even try to use caution. If you hadn't left us the few guns that you did…" she trailed off, leaving the thought unfinished.

Avgust nodded.

"Do you think there are any more of them?" the woman asked.

«Da,» Avgust replied. "More will come. Always, more will come."

"What do we do?"

"For now, we wait for daylight and hope transport arrives before more Fallen."

…

**AN:**

**FF: Thanks to Shy911 for the story favorite/follow!**

**Bit of a delay between chapters. My attention has been almost entirely consumed by Warhammer lately. I've been painting Space Marines, building Seraphon for my daughter, and working on a homebrew Space Marine Chapter and Knight World. **

**The first chapter of this ended up being an unintentional birthday present. Between that and releasing a wedding story on Valentine's day without planning it, it's been an interesting series of coincidences lately.**

**Going to take an opportunity to remind people about m n. You can find me there as JSMulligan. Patrons receive previews of writing, characters appearing in stories, short stories written for them, and more. Recently, I have been posting samples from my self published poetry book.**

**Stay safe out there.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Avgust in charge and people end up dead? Why am I not surprised?"

The Titan turned at the sound of the voice, but the speaker had moved. All he managed to was catch a glimpse of a cape disappearing behind trees. A cape he recognized. Avgust clenched his jaw and followed.

No matter how quickly he moved, he found he was always steps behind the figure as it moved lithely between trees and through the underbrush. All he ever saw was the white cape, the majority of it covered in a black stylized lion. Eventually, he lost sight of even that. Mocking laughter sounded in his ear.

"Pariah!" he shouted at nothing.

"Pariah!" This time the word was less of a shout, and more a sound gasped out as the Titan bolted awake, his heart hammering in his chest. His eyes darted about wildly, searching the area around him while the fact that the chase had only been a dream sunk in.

Avgust pushed himself up off the ground and surveyed the area around him. A few of the former followers of Osiris were awake and moving, but most were still sleeping. It had been a long, harrowing night, so he was not surprised.

After arriving back at the ruined house, Avgust checked on the survivors before searching through all the corpses of the Fallen with Svarog's help, searching for the jamming device they had been using to keep him from calling for help. Eventually, they had tracked back to where he had engaged the aliens to try to buy the civilians time and discovered the device laying among the trees. A snarl had ripped from the Titan's throat as he smashed it.

Once the jamming field was down, he was able to communicate their new position and situation with the Tower in hopes that a rescue could still be carried out for the survivors. Upon his return to the others, he had aided them in digging a shallow trench to place the bodies of those the Fallen had killed in their attack.

He had then set here to keep watch and had apparently fallen asleep at some point. Fallen asleep and dreamt of her for some reason. Why her? Avgust sighed and removed his helmet, rubbing a gloved hand over his face.

"Oh," a female voice gasped, and Avgust turned his head. Cassandra stood near the corner of the house, staring at him, a look of shock on her face. "I'm sorry," she stammered, "I just… I thought the Light healed Guardians wounds?"

Avgust reached his right hand up, touching the scar tissue that covered that side of his face, as well as the spot where his ear should have been.

«Da,» he replied. "It usually does, though I have known some Guardians to sustain injuries that were not healed. This, though, was from before. My old life."

"Oh," she said, stepping closer. "Do you remember it at all?"

Avgust shook his head, though that wasn't entirely true. He may not have remembered it, but during a mission in what remained of Moscow, in the old country known as Russia, he had stumbled over a mechanical remnant of his past that still held a grudge. That incident has resulted in him learning a considerable amount about who he had been before the Collapse. He felt no need to tell this woman of that, however.

Cassandra made another non-committal noise and stepped closer, eyes fixated on the scar tissue and studying intently, as if trying to determine what the source of the injury might have been. The scrutiny made Avgust uncomfortable, and he pulled the helmet back down over his head. Cassandra turned away, embarrassed.

"Sorry," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Avgust turned his attention toward the sky, willing the transport ships to show up. There had been no sign of them, but the skies had also remained clear of Fallen ships as well. So long as that portion of the situation held firm, their situation was at least stable.

"We have some food," Cassandra spoke up after a couple minutes of silence. "It's not much, but we can share with you, for what you've done for us."

«Nyet, spasibo,» the Titan shook his head. "No. Your people need it more than I do. Please, take care of them. I will let you know when I hear anything."

The woman nodded and turned away, casting a glance back at the Titan before making her way back to the other refugees who were trying to set something up. From where he stood, Avugst could not quite make out what it was, but he guessed it had something to do with the offer of food.

"How many times have we done this, Svarog?" the Titan questioned. "How many stragglers have we brought home, and how has it changed anything?"

"We've helped many people, Ava," the Ghost emerged from phase and replied, using the familiar diminutive, "and it changed everything for them."

"Then why do I not feel like it has accomplished anything?"

"I don't know," Svarog answered. "I wish I could make you see."

Avgust grunted and gave a dismissive wave. Svarog floated in front of him, the central "eye" of the Ghost twisted in concern.

"Ava…"

"Keep listening for transmissions. We need to know when those transports are on their way so that we can have these people ready."

The Ghost sighed and bobbed a nod. Avgust turned his attention back to the sky, waiting. It wasn't much longer when Svarog spoke up again.

"Transmission incoming."

"Patch it through."

"Guardian Avgust, this is Tower Transport 212 do you copy?" came the voice, and Avgust felt a faint glimmer of hope that surprised him.

"Transport 212, this is Avgust," he replied.

"Good to hear you are still out there, Guardian. We are on route to your last broadcast position for pickup."

"We had to move due to Fallen pursuit," Avgust said. "Svarog, give updated coordinates."

There was a brief silence, and then the pilot spoke again. "Roger, coordinates received. Oh, and Guardian? We're detecting large amounts of Fallen chatter as well, so we'll be coming in hot."

"Noted. I will have the refugees ready."

"See you soon, Guardian."

The signal cut, and Avgust was already in motion. He spotted Cassandra walking slowly among the remaining civilians, speaking to each one, and he made a beeline toward her. His movement drew the eyes of the refugees, including hers.

"We need to get these people ready to move," he said. "Now. Transport is coming, but they are also detecting Fallen chatter. We have to load fast."

There was a brief flash of fear in her eyes at the mention of Fallen chatter, but it disappeared quickly, and Cassandra began calling out to those around her. They all began to move, a bustle of organized chaos as food was discarded and supplies were packed back up. Avgust was somewhat impressed with how quick they were able to get things together, and that they didn't make more noise doing so. This was clearly not the first time they'd had to pack and move in a hurry.

It could not have been more than an hour when Avgust heard a crackle in his communicator followed by, "Tower Transport 212 closing in on your position, Guardian Avgust. Are those civvies ready?"

«Da,» he replied. "Ready and waiting."

Avgust thought he could hear the sound of the engines approaching, and scanned the skies again. Off in the distance was a dark speck that could have been a bird, but he was convinced was the approaching transport. The Titan strode toward the refugees.

"The ship is coming," he said. «Byt' nagotove.»

A ripple of excitement spread through the gathered crowds, and Avgust saw a few faces break into wide smiles. He glanced to Cassandra, and only she seemed to be showing any sign of concern. Avgust's eyes narrowed. Had she not mentioned to them the possibility of the Fallen still being around? Doing so now would serve no purpose. Avgust sighed, and locked eyes on the dot he had seen in the sky before. It was growing rapidly, and clearly now not a bird.

The ship came in quickly, its engines screaming. Several of the refugees placed their hands over their ears, mostly the young ones. It passed overhead, banking up briefly before the Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) thrusters activated. These thrusters twisted and turned, leveling off the transport vessel, then lowered it toward the ground. Bushes and grass shook violently, as did any loose clothing. Several of the refugees were wearing hats which they had to grab suddenly before they flew away.

As the ship dropped down, a hatch in the back opened and a ramp was lowered, touching the ground when the ship was still about a meter from the ground. A man in a flight suit appeared at the hatch entrance, waving furiously, gesturing for the refugees to come forward.

Cassandra and Avgust herded the people to the ship, making sure all were aboard. Once they were, Cassandra boarded as well, then turned back to Avgust, who was still on the ground.

"You're not coming?" she asked, shouting over the roar of the engines.

«Nyet,» the Titan shook his head. "I have my ship above. I will fly escort."

"Is that everyone?" The man in the flight suit called out. Cassandra nodded, and the platform began to rise, the ship already in motion.

Avgust stepped back, watching them ascend and turn on their path toward the Last Safe City before Svarog transmatted him onto the _Outrageous Fortune_. His mind was so focused on getting into position that he did not even notice the transmat effect. Instantly, his hands were on the controls and getting the ship moving, pushing the smaller craft to catch the transport.

Just as the transport came into view, Svarog alerted him, "I'm detecting two Fallen jumpships."

"Where?"

Markers appeared on scanners then, indicating the position. They were behind the transport by a good distance at low altitude, apparently just beginning their pursuit. From where he was, Avgust should be able to move in and kill them before they were a problem. He yanked the controls, kicking his ship into a sharp dive. The angle and speed of his approach had the desired effect, and he was able to shoot down both jumpships before they were able to fire a shot.

"More ships incoming," Svarog announced. "I think we've stirred up a hornets nest." He paused. "The transport is trying to reach us."

"Put them through."

"Guardian Avgust," the voice of the transport ship pilot sounded over the communication line. It sounded to Avgust like the man was trying to keep any tension from his voice to keep from spooking his passengers. "I'm seeing a number of bogies here. Are you seeing the same thing?"

«Da,» the Titan replied. "We will do what we can. Continue to the Last City, best possible speed."

"Roger that," the pilot said, and was gone.

Avgust's lips tightened to a grim, thin line as he looked at the data coming through his ship's sensors. He couldn't recall the last time he'd seen this many Fallen ships at once. He did not like his odds at keeping them all off the transport.

«Vy gotovy?» he asked the Ghost.

"You ask that like I have I have a choice," Svarog said, his shell giving a pensive twist.

Avgust worked the controls, causing the ship to bank hard while accelerating. The sudden g-forces forced a grunt out of him, but he continued to push the jumpship to its limit. As Svarog had asked, was there any other choice?

This time, there was no element of surprise. These Fallen had come ready for a fight. It took all of Avgust's skill as a pilot to avoid the incoming fire, and even then there were several close calls. The biggest problem was, there were too many of them. He pulled back hard, banking upward as something exploded below him. Even as he did, he could see several ships peeling away to pursue the transport.

He angled after the pursuit craft, his ship's engines straining as he strove to catch up to them. Firing, he raked one of the ships with fire. Something exploded inside it, and the ship went down. Sirens sounded as something struck the Outrageous Fortune from behind. Avugust sent the ship through several evasive maneuvers, briefly losing track of the other ship.

"Guardian Avgust, we are taking fire," came the distressed voice of the transport pilot.

"Svarog, take the controls," Avgust said through gritted teeth.

"What?" was the surprised response.

"Take the controls," the Titan repeated. "Evasive maneuvers, and head away from the transport, try to draw the jackals away."

"Why?" the Ghost asked. "What are you going to do?"

"Something stupid. Transmat me outside."

"No. That's not stupid, it's suicide."

"Just do it," Avgust nearly growled the words.

Svarog sighed, and Avgust braced himself. Seconds later, he found himself on the outer hull of the ship. Immediately, the wind tried to rip him from the surface, and he scrambled to find something to hold onto. His fingers closed around a piece of metal jutting from the surface of the craft, and he held on tightly. The Titan craned his head, searching for the transport and its pursuer.

Once he spotted the craft, Avgust focused on his Light, drawing on the Arc energy, feeling it flow through him, the electric feel of it crackling along his nerves. He let the charge build, filling him to overflowing, then kicked away from the craft with his powerful legs. As he did, he surrounded himself with the Arc energy, letting it propel him forward like a rocket, a projectile charged with destructive force. Blue Light trailed after him as he soared through the air, eyes locked on his target. He struck with enough force to punch straight through the alien vessel. There was a detonation of Arc Light as he did, the released energy completely obliterating the craft.

Avgust saw this all in the instant of impact. He also saw he was too late. The transport ship was on fire and dropping from the sky.

…

**AN**

**Thanks guest for the kudos.**

**FF:**

**Thanks to SelinkFicter for the author and story follow!**

**SelinkFicter: Thanks, glad you like it. Yeah, I know what you mean with going deep. Probably not too much here, since this isn't my character, he actually belongs to Wendigo E17. You should check out his stuff, you'd probably like it.**

**Marcellasnow231: I think I remember seeing that character. Avgust belongs to a friend of mine, we were doing a character trade, so he's been working on something with Celeste, Claney, and Zillah as well. He used to be a more noble character with a bit of a brighter outlook, but has become disillusioned and jaded over the years. I figured I would write something adding to that.**

**Big delay in publishing chapters, I know. Even bigger in my other story. It's funny, I'm home during this Covid-19 mess, but feel like I have less time to do stuff. This week is disruptive because of Iron Banner, and last week was Guardian Games (Go, Titans!), but I hope to try to set up an actual writing schedule next week to get back on track.**

**Stay safe. Talk to you soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Avgust fell, the wreckage of the Fallen ship dropping out of the sky around him, and he tumbled with it. He twisted in the air, trying to at least gain control of his own fall. He managed to get into a prone position, spreading his arms and legs wide, trying to create as much drag and resistance as possible. He had barely managed to do that when he saw trees rapidly approaching and turned again, feet down, arms tucked in to shield his face and chest. He struck tree branches hard and was tossed about on his way to the earth, but managed to keep himself upright. His feet struck the ground and he fell into a sideways roll for several meters before slamming hard into the trunk of a tree and losing consciousness.

The Titan woke to the sound of his Ghost calling his name.

"Avgust," the little fragment of the Traveler was saying repeatedly, darting around him in quick, jerky motions.

«YA prosnulsya, malenkiy svet,» he said, waving his hand at the Ghost. "I am awake."

"Thank the Traveler," Svarog sighed.

«Chto za situatsiya?»

"I led most of the Fallen away, then programmed the Outrageous Fortune to move to a safe orbit and came down here to find you on the ground and somehow not dead, but not moving either. I swept a healing beam over you a few times, but you were remarkably intact."

"And the transport?"

"Unknown," the Ghost replied.

Avgust pushed himself from the ground and scrambled to his feet. He was sore all over, but nothing was broken, thanks to Svarog. He spun around, searching the sky until he caught sight of a tell-tale plume of smoke.

"There," he said, and set off in its direction, walking the first few steps before breaking into a jog, then eventually a full sprint, doing his best to dodge anything in his path.

Eventually, he found the crash site. The transport had splintered trees and gouged a path in the ground as it had struck and continued forward. Pieces of the ship were scattered around, but the majority of it was still intact. Small fires burned all around, but the bulk of the ship itself showed no signs of flame. Avgust paused to survey the scene, then ran to cover the gap between himself and the main body of the craft.

"Svarog, search for any signs of life," the Titan said. The Ghost bobbed an acknowledgement, then flew off, sweeping around the downed vessel.

Avgust's eyes scanned the ship, looking for any easy access. He did not find one, but did see a gash in the metal skin. He forced his fingers into it, feeling the metal bite into his own softer skin, cutting deep. Ignoring the sharp pain, he pulled back, the metal tearing away with a scream of protest. He tossed it to the side, and Svarog flew near his hands, a quick flash of healing Light emanating from the Ghost.

"Not now, Svarog," Avgust shooed the Ghost out of the way, trying to force his way into the wreckage of the craft. He called out, "Is anyone alive in here?"

His call was answered by a cough, and he thought he detected the soft murmur of a voice, like someone half asleep trying to respond to a question. With a renewed effort, Avgust forced his way through the wreckage of the ship desperate to reach whoever it was before it was too late. He did his best to ignore the torn remains of those for whom it already was.

"This is Avgust. Let me know where you are," he called out again, and this time, a voice distinctly replied.

"Over here," came the weak reply.

A collapsed portion of the rescue ship was between himself and the voice. Avgust gripped it, once again having to push through pain, this time from the searing heat radiating from the metal, and pushed as hard as he could. The wall buckled with a groan, and smoke poured out of the opening that he created. He could hear shuffling beyond, and then figures followed the smoke. When the final figure crawled past him, he paused to see if more would emerge, but none did.

Five. All that remained were five survivors. The reality of that settled on Avgust's shoulders like a massive weight, the lost piling on him in judgement.

"Did you find anyone else?" a woman's voice asked. The same that had called to him. Avgust turned from the collapsed wall and saw that it was Cassandra.

«Nyet,» he replied, shaking his head. "I am sorry."

Two of the survivors were children. One of them began to cry. An adult whose name Avgust had not had time to learn pulled the child to her chest, making soft, shushing sounds.

"We need to move," Avugst said. "I do not believe the ship will explode but, I would not take the chance."

Cassandra nodded and took a moment to visibly gather her own feelings, pushing aside a wildness that had begun to gather in her eyes. Avgust watched as she began to rouse the survivors, convincing them to move again.

"She's a strong woman," Svarog stated to him privately. "But this has been almost more than she can bear."

«Da,» the Titan replied. "Let us hope she and the others can hold up. We are still a long way from home."

The weary survivors of the crash staggered from the wreckage. Avgust guided them to a small copse of trees that would provide them some cover from the air should the Fallen still be actively patrolling the skies. There they huddled, shivering.

"Svarog, can you help tend to their wounds?" Avgust asked the Ghost privately.

"I can try," he replied. "I won't be able to help them in the same way I can you, nothing deep, but I should be able to at least help with some of the surface injuries."

"Do it, please," Avgust said to the Ghost, then addressed the others. "Svarog is going to try to help tend to your wounds."

He held out his hand and the Ghost appeared above it, then flittered over to the refugees. One of the children flinched away as a beam of Light shot from his eye. She whimpered, clutching at the nearest adult.

"Do not fear, little one," the Titan said. "Svarog will not hurt you."

"It's okay," Cassandra said, patting the child's arm. They just want to help."

As Svarog continued to try helping the survivors, Avgust made his way back to the rescue vessel, hoping to scavenge the wreckage for supplies. He had little hope that there would be much left on the craft, but without supplies, these last five would be joining their comrades far sooner than they should.

He stepped through the hole he had made and surveyed the area again. He ripped open anything that looked like a cabinet or storage space that he could see. Much of what he found was damaged beyond use, but Avgust managed to salvage a couple blankets, a flight jacket, and a few water bottles. He cursed at how little he could find. There would be things he could use on the Outrageous Fortune, but to call it down would definitely draw the eyes of the Eliskni back to them, and he could not risk that. This would have to do for the night, at least.

Avgust took the meager supplies back to the refugees. He then set about scouring the area for anything they could use as shelter. After searching for over an hour, he found some large rocks standing and leaning on each other that would at least provide some minimal protection. He gathered the survivors.

"I doubt the Fallen will be motivated enough to land and scour for survivors," he told Cassandra once the others were settled amongst the rocks. "So long as we do nothing to draw their focus now."

"How long do we need to wait here?" she asked, exhaustion clear in her voice.

"We will call for help in the morning," the Titan replied. "Unfortunately, my ship is only built for one. I could maybe make one other person fit, two if one of them is the smallest child. But five? It is not possible."

"I understand," Cassandra said with a nod.

"Go. Rest," Avgust ordered. "I will watch through the night."

"What about you?" Cassandra asked. "You've done so much. When will you rest."

Avgust shook his head. "I do not need it. Svarog can fuel me with the Light."

The Ghost appeared and bobbed a nod of agreement. "We will be fine for tonight."

Cassandra's eyes flicked back and forth between the two of them. She looked as though she were trying to decide whether she believed them or not. Finally, her own exhaustion overcame everything else, and she turned away, joining the others. When she was gone, Avgust turned to stand vigil.

…

The sun peeked over the horizon, rays of light beginning to stream through the trees. From where he stood, Avgust could still see the clearing where the other ship had crashed.

"Put in the call," he told Svarog, and the Ghost complied, alerting the Tower to their situation and the fate of the first rescue vessel.

"They can dispatch another ship soon," Svarog said when the call ended. "But they can't get to where we are, they don't want to risk losing another ship. We're going to have to hike a ways and get to an area with fewer Fallen."

Avgust muttered something unintelligible under his breath. "Fine. We can wake the others soon and get started."

In the shelter, Avgust heard a cough. He had heard it off and on through the night, but it sounded worse now. After, there was the sound of movement, and the survivors began to emerge.

"Guess we won't have to wake them after all," Svarog stated.

«Nyet,» Avgust said with a shake of his head. "But that is not necessarily a good thing. The man does not look well."

Of the three surviving adults, only one was male. He looked pale this morning, much more so than Avgust remembered from the previous night. He coughed into his hand, then clutched at his chest before rubbing at it, as if trying to massage away some pain. Avgust strode toward the man, placed a hand on his back, and guided him away from the others.

"Are you ill?" he asked in a whisper.

"I… I don't know. I don't think so. I wasn't, I mean." The man shrugged.

"What is your name, friend?" Avgust asked.

"Simon."

"Simon, Svarog is going to scan you. We must know."

Simon nodded, and the Ghost materialized, sweeping a scanning beam of Light over his from head to toe, then a second pass over just the chest. Svarog's eye narrowed.

"There is something wrong with his chest," he told Avgust privately. "Some damage. I can't heal it. He needs a doctor, and probably quickly."

«Eto ne khorosho,» the Titan replied. "Not good. Can he make the journey?"

"Unknown."

Avgust turned and looked at Simon. "Svarog says there is a wound to your chest. He cannot help you. Is it possible that either of the women have medical knowledge?"

"No," Simon shook his head. "Cassie… Cassandra… she was a teacher. And Liv… I think she mostly gardened."

"We have to march to get to a safe evacuation point. It will most likely be difficult travel. I… cannot guarantee that you will make it."

"Well, I'm dead if I stay here, right?" the man asked.

Avgust nodded. "Most certainly."

"Then I guess I don't have a choice." Another coughing fit hit him, and Simon doubled over, hand clenched in a fist over his mouth. When it passed, he straightened back up. "Guess we'd better get going, huh?"

"Do what you can," Avgust said privately to Svarog, who swept a healing beam over Simon again. He then waved for the other adults to join them. "We need to get moving," he announced when they drew close. "I have heard from the Last City. They will send a transport, but not to where we are now. We must get clear of the Fallen. There is a chance we can reach the point today, but we will need to move and keep moving."

"What about the kids," Cassandra asked. "They aren't going to be able to handle that."

"They will have to," he replied. "If they falter, we will have to carry them."

With that, the adults gathered up the children. There was no regular food, but Svarog was able to produce a few ration bars that had been stored away. The children complained about the taste, and they did not provide enough to really satisfy anyone once they were divided to be shared, but something was better than nothing.

The area they hiked through was wild, with no signs of even ancient cultivation. They stumbled over rocks, pushed through scrub, and had the sun beat down on them when they passed through open space. Simon's cough grew worse, and Avgust thought he noticed a little pink on the man's hand after a particularly bad spasm.

"Is he going to make it?" Cassandra asked Avgust, casting a worried glance at Simon.

"I cannot say," he replied. "Svarog has tried to do what he can, but it is not enough."

She looked pensive, and fell silent again. They continued their march. Occasionally, they heard or saw signs of Fallen activity, and adjusted their direction accordingly, working to avoid them. Eventually, the pace began to wear on the children, and they started to drag.

"I will take two of them," Avgust said. "You can take turns carrying the other."

He eyed the children, judging which looked lightest and left her for the women; Simon looked in no shape to carry anything, and had begun to struggle with the pace himself. Avgust stooped and scooped up the other two children, sitting one on each of his shoulder pauldrons.

"Hold on, little ones," he said. "I do not wish to see you fall."

Despite their fatigue, they both laughed as if they were on a ride as he stood, grabbing onto him to steady themselves. The Titan kept a steadying hand on each and walked forward. Liv scooped up the third child, taking her turn first. The little girl looked enviously at the other two riding on the big man's shoulders.

They continued on this way, with the children rotating between them. Midday had passed, and the sun had noticeably shifted to the west, though Avgust estimated they still had hours until it would set. The rendezvous coordinates were still a ways off, but he had hope they could make it before they lost the sunlight.

Simon had another coughing fit, one that left him white-faced and drove him to his knees. Avgust carefully lowered the children from his shoulders, and motioned for the women and the children to continue walking.

"Keep going, I will catch up," he said.

Cassandra gave him a concerned look, flicking her eyes between the two men. Placing her hands on the children's backs, she encouraged them to walk forward. Avgust turned his attention back to Simon, who was sitting now with his arms wrapped around his knees.

"I'm not going to make it," he said when the others were out of earshot.

Avgust shot a look at his Ghost. Inside his helmet, his mouth was a grim line. He had been concerned that it would come to this, and he had no words of comfort to offer.

"Don't give up-" Svarog began, but Simon cut him off.

"Don't. I can't keep pushing myself. I've been coughing up blood, my chest is on fire. I know I'm not going to make it, and I don't want… I don't want them to have to see it... The kids."

"They have moved on," Avgust said. "They continue forward with the women. It is only us, now."

"Good," Simon wheezed, then coughed again, a wracking fit that left him sprawled fully on the ground. "Can… can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

Simon turned to stare at the Titan. "Are you afraid to die?"

Avgust considered the question, then reached up and removed his helmet so that he could look into the other man's eyes. This felt like a moment that needed to not be hidden behind the impersonable, faceless mask.

"No," he said, "though death means something different for us Guardians. I die, and Svarog brings me back. It happens many times. Perhaps we are too comfortable with it. I once died a death I would not have expected to come back from, though I cannot remember it."

"I didn't think I did," Simon replied with a nervous laugh, "though now that I'm looking right at it, I'm terrified. Do you think.. do you think I could come back as a Guardian?"

"I cannot say," Avgust replied. "Svarog?"

The Ghost floated over to the injured man, circling him slowly. His shell parted, and a beam of Light lanced out, sweeping up and down his frame, pausing at the chest, and again at the head. After several seconds, the beam disappeared, and Svarog's shell closed again. The little Ghost shook himself, much like a person clearing their head.

"It's possible," he said. "It's impossible to guarantee, but I can sense your spark, and you do carry the Light. If the right Ghost were to come along, you could be reborn."

"Is this something you would want?" Avgust asked.

"Yes, I think I would," Simon answered. "I'd like to come back and not have to be afraid."

A part of Avgust wanted to argue with the man, to tell him that he would be better off staying at rest, but he did not. "Svarog," the Titan said, turning to his Ghost, "please mark this location, so that other Ghosts will know to come search here."

The Ghost bobbed an acknowledgement.

"Th-" Simon tried to speak, but was overcome by another bout of coughing, and the words were lost to the pained expression on his face. He reached a grasping hand out and clutched Avgusts arm, gripping as tightly as he could manage, then suddenly the grip loosed and Simon was still.

Avgust stared at the dead man. This was a bad death. There was little he could do now, though he hated leaving the body out in the open like this. A notion presented itself to him, a thought from somewhere deep in his mind, buried in his lost memory. Carefully, Avgust unhitched his belt, removing it and his Titan Mark, then wrapped them around Simon's waist.

«Ne umru, no budu zhit' i vozveshchat' dela Gospondi,» he muttered under his breath, "I will not die but live, and will proclaim the works of the Lord."

Svarog drifted into his field of view. "What was that?" he asked.

"I… do not know," Avgust replied, shaking his head. "It just… felt right." He stood. "We need to catch up to the others."

Svarog disappeared into phase and Avgust put his helmet back on, then began to run without another word. At full sprint, he quickly caught up to the others. Cassandra gave him an imploring look, and the Titan shook his head. The woman clamped a hand over her mouth and squeezed her eyes closed for several seconds. When she opened them again, there was clear determination there. Avgust once again scooped up two of the children, and the group pressed on to the new rendezvous. When the transport arrived, Avgust saw the others aboard, and Svarog signalled for the Outrageous Fortune to meet them.

"Can't you join us this time?" Cassandra asked. "I'd feel safer if you were with us."

"No," he said. "I cannot leave my vessel here. I will escort you again, and see you into the City."

This time, the flight was uneventful. Avgust watched over the transport until it reached the Last Safe City. True to his word, he has Svarog transmat him to join Cassandra and the others, and see arrangements made for them. Once they were settled, another transmat took him back outside the City, to the spot where he had been training the new Titans before leaving for the mission.

From the plateau, he stared hard at the walls of the City.

…

**AN**

**Guest: Thank you. That is quite possibly the nicest comment I've gotten in my couple years now of doing this. Glad you are enjoying the stories and the character work.**

**Shy911: No it wasn't, and it didn't get much better, sadly.**

**And so we have reached the end of this little adventure. Originally, this was going to be a one-shot, but it ended up needing some room to breathe. As much as this was not a "fun" story, I had fun writing Avgust. Bit of a different character than Claney, even if they are both haunted by what happened in their past.**

**I feel like all I do these days is apologize about delays. This story was going well until Corona killed the world. Even though I was home, it was a huge disruption of my schedule and I couldn't get that balance. Throw in the fact that I was on a computer all day for work and the last thing I wanted to do after was stare at a screen some more. Things are slightly more back to normal here, but now my schedule doesn't have any of the same windows to write I had before. That won't affect this since it's done, but I am still working on "Dust to Dust and Memory." We'll see how well that goes.**

**I also recently wrote a little murder mystery type story using the Destinytober/Destiny Pentober prompts, "Wandering Comfortless Streets".**


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